Fair Grounds

New Orleans, Louisiana

Track Menu

I've Seen Fire, I've Seen Rain !

Fair Grounds Logo

Plenty of history
here, The Fair Grounds was one of the first racetracks in North America.
It enjoyed the benefit of winter racing for many years and was also
rebuilt from the ashes of devastating fires that twice leveled the
facility. Oddly enough its purse structure was only rated a 9 but now
being a Racino and under the Churchill Downs banner that number has
risen to 43.

The original site of the Fairgrounds dates back to
1852 which preceded both the Civil War and Saratoga Race Course. With
that the track has survived the Civil War, the fires, and Hurricane
Katrina.

Gentilly Road Gates

In 2011 The Fairgrounds once again conducted both
quarter horse and thoroughbred meets. The thoroughbreds starting on
their traditional Thanksgiving Day opening. Rising female star Rosie
Napravnik, ran away with top rider honors. If you drive into the
Gentilly Road entrance you will pass through the ornate iron gates that
have guarded the track for over a century.

Since the sixties the track has transformed from an open air
grandstand to a glass enclosed climate controlled facility which now
includes a casino. The only chance I had to visit The Fair Grounds was
on a dark-day, it also was a dark day outside the track, raining cats
and dogs. The casino seemed a little small, but the rest of the facility
and track was major league. Since that time there has been grumbling
from horseman that the parent company Churchill Downs, has been ignoring
their track and putting all the profits into the home track in
Louisville.